The workplace: Seeing Israel heal

Signs abound throughout Israel, particularly in the workplace, that the process of recovery advances even as society continues to agonize over the plight of our citizens still being held hostage in Gaza.

Proof of this recently arrived in the form of a joint study published by two Israeli NGOs focused on shared existence issues, aChord and Co-Impact. Their data points to a renewed openness among Arabs and Jews to working together, especially in organizations that have already adopted and promoted inclusion practices.

The study shows that as of August 2024, 54% of Israeli Jews were significantly open to working with Arab colleagues. We are making our way back to a good place: the figure stood at 46% immediately following the war’s outbreak, and 64% beforehand.

These new figures should come as a relief, after the alarming findings in a May study by the Labor Ministry in conjunction with aChord. Data from that report showed that as of mid-February 2024 only 40% of Israeli Jews were interested in working with Arabs as compared with 52% for Haredi Jews, 59% for people with disabilities and 66% for Israelis of Ethiopian origin.

Interestingly enough, the May study also showed that only 14% thought that the presence of Arab employees would force coworkers to alter their lifestyle, as compared to 32% with regard to Haredi Jew employees. Furthermore, only 16% believed that the presence of Arab employees would require significant changes in the work place, as compared to 37% in the case of Haredi Jews and 34% with regard to people with disabilities.

Workplace-based indications of a coming together among the country’s various sectors can also be seen in labor relations.

This was clear during the recent annual labor conference convened jointly by the Histadrut-General Federation of Labor and the business sector’s umbrella organization. There, leaders from both sides praised the dedication to cooperation for the common good that has blossomed between them against the war’s backdrop.

Reflecting Israel’s unique public-private partnership, the business sector’s head announced the imminent launching of a national coordination body for the rehabilitation of Israel’s northern region. Focusing on education and employment, the group is to include the Finance Ministry, private sector and philanthropy bodies.

Several developments on the ground do appear to back the prevailing sense of optimism.

As of January 2025, the percentage of unemployed job seekers had fallen to 2.6%. The minimum wage is expected to rise by 6.5% from April 1. And during 2024, the Histadrut navigated the signing of some 365 agreements to safeguard worker rights and assist the economy’s response to the war, including by increasing workplace protection for reservists and granting paid leave to their spouses.

I’m particularly intrigued by employment-related developments with regard to women during the war period.

According to the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies’ 2024 report on the labor market, the rate of women working during this time was almost unaffected. The percentage of Arab women working, now at 46%, continued to rise for the third consecutive year.

There are myriad explanations for this phenomenon, including positive trends in higher education  the past decade. Concerted government efforts during this period have definitely made a contribution.

In this context: meet the Labor Ministry’s Employment of Populations Administration. While adapting its modus operandi to changing realities over the years, the unit never wavers from its singular goal of promoting equality in Israel’s job market.

These efforts include programs advancing gender equality.

Shachar Nashi (Women’s Dawn), a program for women uprooted by the war from their homes to temporary residences, is perhaps the most crisis-related project created by the Administration. Focusing on employment as a key life anchor, it leverages job training as a means to help restore a sense of independence and optimism regarding the future.

The Eshet Chayil (Woman of Valor) program advances quality employment for women, including: those located at a distance from job centers, living in traditional societies or in cultural transition, as well as young mothers and women over 50. Megalot Atidot (Discovering the Future) helps young women with their study and career choices.

Programs with a wider scope include the Flexible Hour Basket, which assists single parents increase their work or study load through partial financing of after-school programs and camps during school vacation for children up to the age of 10. The Hebrew+ program seeks to remove barriers to employment stemming from a lack of language proficiency. The Administration also runs an English-language enrichment course.

While moving social equality forward in the shadow of war is no easy task, Israel is staying the course for all its citizens. Not surprising: it’s in our DNA.